Cherish the Simple Things
by PastaLiberation
Summary: Steven is a busy man who is too occupied to stop and enjoy the holidays. May adores Christmas and everything about it. She makes it her mission to help Steven appreciate the season as much as she does. Hoennchampionshipping fluff one-shot.


Coffee. That sounded better than anything to him at the moment. That, and changing into a more comfortable pair of clothes.

Though Hoenn was certainly not known for the coldest of winters, those native to the Hoenn shores were not used to even the slightest of snowfall.

Steven was one of those people.

He had been in Fallarbor, along with the Devon Chairman of Fossil Research and the Rustboro gym leader for a fieldwork project that Mr. Stone had funded.

If there was a chance that rare stones would be involved in the excavation, Steven needed no persuading to join the research team. However, he didn't anticipate there would be snow in Fallarbor. Needless to say, he couldn't wait to get back to his warm, albeit plain house.

His fingers fumbled with his keys; the cold was making his extremities slightly numb. He felt the rush of warm air radiate from inside as he pushed the front door open.

And that was when he was nearly blinded with a mass of colorful lights.

"Surprise! Do you like it?" A young woman's voice delightfully greeted him from inside his own house.

"What the - May?" He squinted slightly, eyes glancing between the bubbly lady and the very bright, very tall Christmas tree that sparked with hundreds of polychromatic lights. "What is this?"

His stupefied response only made her giggle. "It's called a Christmas tree?"

"I _know_ what it is," he shot a sarcastic glance at her, "I meant - did you set it up?"

"Well, yeah!" She smiled, clearly proud of her work. "You're always on the go - rarely ever home. I know you're not usually one to get into the Christmas spirit, but …" she reached into a box to pull out several different glass ornaments, waggling them to show them off, "I thought maybe if I helped you decorate, I could change that."

Nothing could have prevented a small grin from creeping on his face at these words. "May, this is really nice of you, but you don't have to go to all this work. What's the problem? I'm just not very holiday spirited."

"That _is_ the problem!" She gently placed the ornaments back into the box and plopped herself onto his couch - making herself right at home. "Christmas is the best time of the year, and I can't have grumps like you killing the vibe!"

"'Grump'? 'Killing the …' what?"

"So, I'm going to get you into the Christmas spirit this year. Maybe you'll want to be home more instead of playing with rocks out in the cold."

"Excuse me, I study rocks. I collect rocks. I do not 'play' with rocks." It was hard to sound serious as he meant to. Perhaps he should have grown frustrated, but he was more amused than anything.

"Right, whatever." Her grin grew wider, playfully rolling her eyes. "But look at you! You're all wet from the snow. You could have just stayed inside and helped me set up the tree."

He completely forgot that he was, indeed, uncomfortably soaked. "I didn't know you were even going to do this." He broke eye contact as he began removing his jacket.

"So you're saying if you knew, you would have helped me?" Her eyes lit up like a child's, yet her rather insinuating smirk took away some of that innocence.

Steven didn't know how to answer. He stared with his lips slightly parted, searching for the more _right_ answer.

"It's not too late, you know." She interrupted his thought process. "All I did was set up a tree and put the lights on. We still have to decorate the tree, and the rest of your house for that matter!"

"The rest of my - _May_ - you really don't have to do this."

"Oh, yes, Mr. Stone. I really do."

He sighed as his tone grew disgruntled. "You know I don't like being called that. I'm not that much older than you, you know."

"Sure seems like you are." Okay, maybe _now_ he was getting frustrated, but not for the same reason as before.

"Fine, fine. We can do whatever you want. All right?" He gave in.  
>"Perfect." She stood up, zealous as ever, but with a new, dangerous fire in her eyes. "Go get changed - can't have you getting the lights wet."<p>

He said nothing as he retreated to his bedroom. Sighing once again, he ran his hand through his damp hair, making it more ruffled than it already was. Truthfully, May's plan didn't sound like a bad idea. But why was she so persistent?

* * *

><p>"Wow, that's not a common sight." May's eyes looked the man up and down as he returned to his now sparkling living room. In just a pair of dark jeans and a thick, hooded sweatshirt, it would probably take a moment to recognize him. "I didn't even know you owned casual clothes."<p>

"Is it really that surprising?" He exhaustingly sat on his couch. "Did you think I slept in suits?"

"Yes." May laughed. "But you look nice." She sat down next to him, unusually close.

"Thanks …" He wasn't sure if he should shift away as she seemed to be getting closer. He was sure, however, that the room suddenly felt significantly warmer. "What are you d-" But he was silenced in an instant when he felt a long string of tinsel wrap around his neck - like an itchy, uncomfortable boa.

"We have decorating to do." She looked him straight into his eyes, which reflected exactly how perplexed he was at the moment. "So get up and let's get to work!" She didn't waste a second before rising from the couch and setting the box of decorations onto his coffee table. "I just bought these from the PokéMart, and there are plenty of hooks here too. I don't suppose you have any special ornaments you'd like to include?"

Special ornaments? "Like what?"

"You know," May began, "lots of families have decorations they hang on the tree every year - maybe a small photo frame, or maybe decorations someone gave them as a gift. For a bit of sentimental value aside from hanging a bunch of store-bought things, I suppose."

"Hm," he brought his hand to his chin as he thought. "I don't have ornaments per se, but I think I have something special to me that we can be creative with... "

* * *

><p>"Steven. Those are rocks." May stared blankly at the handful of shiny stones he brought from his bedroom, gingerly laying them one-by-one onto the table next to the rest of the decorations.<p>

"They're very rare stones that have special meaning to me." Maybe not intentionally, but May could detect a hint of hurt pride in his voice. "That's what this is about, right? 'Sentimental value,' as you said."

"I did say that but …" She bit her inner lip as she silently admired how delicately he handled his strange little treasures. They _were_ kinda pretty. "I was thinking more along the lines of, I don't know, a Beldum ornament or another Pokémon you like. Something that has memories."

"But these do hold memories." He spoke gently, trying not to get too worked up by May's indifference towards his stones. He grabbed a round, smooth blue stone from the table, holding it up like a proud parent for May to see. "This is an opal I found my first time going through Victory Road. And this," he pointed to an opaque yellow oval on the table, "is jade that Roxanne gave me as a birthday present. I got the turquoise from Twist Mountain in Unova that has an interesting composition of aluminum and copper. The yellow sapphire was a gift from my father, as were many of the others."

"I see." May couldn't help but notice the excitement in his eyes that simply talking about rocks brought out in Steven. It somewhat clashed with his composed manner of speaking, which made her smile. Perhaps he trained himself to not get too excited around others, as he realized it was, indeed, not the most conventional of hobbies. "Well this is your Christmas tree. If it will make you enjoy Christmas more, then you can decorate however you like." She didn't look at him as she spoke. Instead she searched through the decoration box. "Mm, got it." Pulling out a thin ball of twine, she tossed it to Steven, who clumsily managed to catch it. "I think we can use that to hang them easier, right?"

"Sure." He nodded, internally thrilled that May accepted his idea of incorporating his beloved stones into the decorating process. Maybe she wasn't as indifferent towards his passion as he thought. As he untangled the twine, May cut a piece off and began rolling it with the nimblest of fingers to create a nook for the hook.

"Here," she said as she gave the cold maroon stone to him. Maybe a ruby, she thought. "You hang the first one." Slipping a thin green hook through the homemade hole, he strode towards the tree and fitted the other side of the hook with one of the Christmas tree's branches that smelled strongly of pine. "Great!" She chimed, smiling big as ever. "Now for the rest of them!" She did a series of mini jumps before cutting more twine. Sometimes he wondered if it were safe for someone as hyper as her to use scissors, but he knew better than anyone how mature she could be. And maybe this would be fun.

* * *

><p>He couldn't lie. It looked beautiful. Perhaps it looked beautiful enough to rival the magnificence of Glittering Cave. The forest of colorful lights reflected dazzlingly off his precious makeshift ornaments and refracted gloriously through the glass orbs that May bought, creating a truly incredible spectacle. Steven turned away from the Christmas tree, only to be slapped in the face with more Christmas. Seemingly every surface had been draped in tinsel and bows. Definitely not his style, but he couldn't say he didn't like it, nor could he deny the strange sensation he felt upon taking in the spirit of his house. Joy, was it? And having his good friend May by his side the whole time - well, that made for a whole other experience in itself.<p>

"So?" May remained full of excitement the entire time, practically bouncing from wall to wall smothering every inch of his plain house with Christmas. "What do you think? Pretty great, huh?"

"Yeah …" Was all he could say through a slightly aspirated breath.

"Just 'yeah'?" She smiled at his loss for words.

"I mean," he cleared his throat, "it is really great. Thank you, May, for taking time to do this for me."

That was better. "Do you feel in the Christmas spirit now?"

"Honestly," he surveyed his surroundings once more, "while perhaps more than before, I can't entirely say I do."

He expected her smile to falter for perhaps the first time that day, so he was thoroughly confused when it didn't. "Of course you don't. Because I'm not done yet! Come here." No, in fact, she seemed to become even more excited.

"Come where, exactly?" He stood still, slightly concerned about what she had in store.

"Just freaking," she grabbed his hand, impatience clearly taking over, "come here!" She tugged him in the direction of his kitchen. He looked at her curiously, but she had broken eye contact, clearly focused on her destination. His heart began to beat faster, most likely from anticipation, he decided.

"Christmas isn't Christmas without ... " May released his hand and approached a grocery bag on his island counter. In a single swift motion, she pulled out a heavy-looking box. "Christmas cookies!"

Cookies? He was supposed to be a grown man, and she expected to eat frosted Christmas cookies? Although she was eighteen, he decided she had the energy and charm of someone much younger at times. "I'm sorry?" was all he said.

"You know," using her bare hands, she ripped open the factory-sealed box, showing off her well-toned arms. "You gotta make Christmas cookies, or else the season is incomplete!"

"We're _making_ them?" _Oh, no._

"Well duh, Steven! It's not as fun if you buy them." She dumped the inside bag of powder onto the counter, proceeding to rip that open as well.

He watched her masterfully attack all the packaging without a single struggle. "May, I'm really not the best cook."

"I assumed as much, judging by your lack of kitchenware." She giggled at his slight groan. "But don't worry! I'm good at improvising! And besides, this is just instant cookie dough. So easy, just add water." She grabbed a large bowl from the other counter and dumped the soon-to-be cookie dough powder inside. "Well don't just sit there! Fill the pitcher with water and help me!"

"Jeez, May." He smiled through a single chuckle. "You take Christmas very seriously." Even so, he did as she ordered, taking the pitcher to the sink.

"I wouldn't say that," turning to face him, she pursed her lips stubbornly. "I just like to enjoy the best time of the year! Is that so wrong?"

Bringing the pitcher to May's workspace carefully as to not to spill any water, he huffed at her simple explanation. "I suppose not," he replied. If this would allow her to fulfill her Christmas checklist, then so be it.

May took the pitcher from Steven and fearlessly poured it into the bowl. Steven took that as an indicator of her cookie-baking experience, as he on the other hand, probably would have re-measured the precise amount at least thrice.

"Here," May handed him a whisk that still had the price sticker. She must have bought it on her way over just for this. "You stir."

"A-all right.' He apprehensively put the whisk into the bowl, stirring with the strength of a baby Pichu.

"What do you call that?" May burst in laughter. "Be more aggressive! At this rate, we won't have these done until next year!"

"Hey, give me a break! I've never done this before!" He stopped stirring to face her, his eyes wide and face probably a flustered shade of red. But he realized the purity behind her laugh; she meant no harm. She simply wanted to have fun, and she was thanks to him. That made him just a little more at ease.

"I'm sorry." She smiled as sweetly as possible, still trying to gain control over herself after laughing so much. "I'll show you." May took the whisk from his hand and whipped through the mixture like a pro. He had to say, he was impressed. "You just gotta be strong in your movements to smooth it all out. No biggie!"

"Let's face it - you're a great deal better at this than I am." He ran his hand through his hair, using this habit of his as an excuse to look away.

May rolled her eyes. "You're not getting out of helping me roll them out onto the cookie sheet, though."

"I wouldn't dream of it."

* * *

><p>"Just wait ten minutes, and then we'll check if they're done, okay?" May closed the oven door and proceeded to brush her hands together to rub off the cookie dough. Realizing it wasn't going to come off that easily, she instead decided to stick a finger inside the mixing bowl and relish in the mess. She scraped the inside of the bowl for remaining cookie dough and licked it off her finger, making her taste buds dance in delight.<p>

"May! That's not sanitary." Steven interrupted her brief moment of cookie dough bliss.

"So? My hands were all over the cookies anyway when we rolled them into little balls. And besides," she took another finger-full to her mouth, "this is the best part of making cookies! Why don't you try it?"

"Huh? Uhm. No thank you, May. I'll wait for the finished ones."

"Come on! I promise you'll like it." She took the mixing bowl in hand, and held it out towards him.

"May, I'm fine, really."

"Please?" She took a step towards him.

"No, thank you."

"Pretty please?" Another step.

"May, really, I'm not a fan of -" he didn't even see it coming when May managed to get close enough to poke his cheek - with a finger full of cookie dough. " …"

'Hehe ... " She brought the bowl closer to her, as if trying to hide behind it. Her giggling face showed absolutely no regret.

"..._May_." No, not even his darkest possible expression made her look any less pleased with what she did. He was about to use the sleeve of his sweatshirt to wipe off the cookie dough, but he paused mid-action and grabbed a paper towel to do the job instead.

"All you have to do is try it. Then I'll stop." She loaded her index finger with another scoop of ammo.

"Don't do that again!" His eyebrows raised and his eyes rounded - not in anger, but more in anticipation. Not that it stopped her from doing it again - this time getting closer to his lips. Now he was on the defense, quickly backing away from the much too hyper girl. "May!" But the further he backed away the closer she followed. The only thing he could think to do was -

"... Did you really just do that?" May slowly blinked at the supposedly grown-man in front of her, who had just thrown a handful of flour right in her face. Steven's eyes still rounded as can be, slightly in astonishment at what he had reflexively just done, but more so in utmost amusement. Seeing the girl before him with a face now caked in powder, he had to hold his lips tightly together to avoid busting out in laughter. "Oh, it is on, Mr. Stone."

May took a handful of flour herself, flinging it right back at the taller man, but only managing to hit his torso.

"May, I'm sorry!" He finally busted out laughing at her futile attempt to get him back. His height gave him an unfair advantage. "Let's call a truce?"

"Hell no." May muttered as she flung another handful of flour - this time successfully nailing her target in the face.

" ... " Steven deadpanned as he used his hands to wipe the flour off his eyelids. "So this is what we are going to do?" Taking a moment to let the situation sink in and to ponder if he was really about to partake in this behavior, he pushed aside all rational thoughts as he reached for the bag of flour off the counter, preparing another shot. Unfortunately for Steven, May got to it first. She held it tightly to her chest and protected it with her arm - knowing he wouldn't dare try to reach for it there.

Steven opened his mouth to speak, but then closed it. He realized just how screwed he was.

"You know this is war right?" May said through a feisty grin and narrowed eyes.

Silver eyes darted between the young woman and the counter - looking for anything to defend himself.

Then he saw it.

May's hand dipped inside the flour bag once again, preparing her next move; her smile never left her face.

But Steven's smile grew much wider as he swiftly grabbed the mechanical piping bag full of red icing and gave it a firm pump.

And the icing shot out with much more force than he expected, creating an impressive mess on her white sweater. May's jaw dropped in complete shock.

"Oops …" He mumbled through clenched teeth, but he couldn't sound entirely guilty even if he wanted to. Not with the laughter palpable in his eyes.

"Dang it, Steven!" May wasn't sure if she should laugh or yell, so she did a sort of mixture of both as she began flinging handfuls of flour at the man. Which he returned right back with as much icing as he could force out. That is, until the piping bag ran out of icing.

"Okay, okay May!" He held his hands up in surrender. "I'm out - I give up. You win." He looked May up and down. He had successfully smothered her in red icing - all over her laughing face and caking her clothes. She was probably more of a mess than he was. Not to mention the mess that was on the floor...

"Mm, already?" Setting the nearly-emptied bag of flour on the nearest counter, she gave him a devious smile. "Okay, fine. I win. But first …" She spread her arms out, inching towards him. "Let's make up properly."

"May… you're covered in icing - don't you dare!" He tried his very best to run. He really did. In fact, he made it all the way to his living room before May pounced on him, pulling him into the tightest hug she could possibly give to share the icing he sprayed her with. "Ugh- _May_" Trying to pry her fingers off him, her grip only tightened.

She tilted her head back to look at him, not daring to let him free. "I wouldn't have felt like I won if you weren't as messy as me."

His muscles relaxed. There was no way he would get out of her death grip, so he subconsciously stopped trying. He looked down at the much shorter young woman clinging to him for dear life, seeing those zealous sapphire eyes beam right into his own."And what about now?" He paused, taking a moment to swallow. "Do you feel like you've won now?" He never realized how mature she looked with her hair down. Really, she was quite pretty. Perhaps it was also a subconscious part of his brain that made his hands move to her back.

"Not quite." She stared directly into his attentive, focused eyes as she gave him a smirk. He never knew what to expect when May smiled like that, but he certainly didn't expect her to stand on tippy-toes and kiss his cheek.

It lasted hardly a second before she pulled away, keeping her arms around his waist. She let her eyes linger on his face intently, watching as his lips tensed together and his skin became a sheer shade of scarlet.

Steven was hardly able to return the eye-contact. _What in the world was that?!_" he repeated over and over in his head, heartbeat mimicking the frantic rhythms of his thoughts which he was certain she could feel.

"Sorry." May smiled sweetly and finally looked down. "You didn't have icing on your face, so I had to do something about that." Bringing one hand to her lips, she giggled quietly, trying desperately to play off her own growing embarrassment as cheekiness.

Steven's fingers traced his face where May had kissed him. Sure enough, there was a very visible splotch of icing on his fingers afterward.

"But I mean," May mumbled, realizing how uncomfortable she may have just made things, "I guess I've won officially now." But neither in words nor expression did Steven respond. "Um, wow, we made a mess. Maybe we should clean up a bit … and then check … on the ..." Still, no reaction. "Steven?"

She finally began to release him from her grasp, unaware of just how long she was holding him like that. As she broke contact, it didn't take Steven a second to pull her right back to him.

And he kissed her.

Truthfully, not a thought went into kissing her, other than that he shouldn't think, lest he would chicken out. It was now or never, and he was prepared to be slapped.

But he wasn't slapped. He did, however, feel her smile beneath his lips as she kissed him right back without a moment's hesitation.

Her hands moved to each side of his face, deepening the kiss as if she had waited years for this moment. He wondered if that was, indeed, the case.

Trailing his hands around her waist then up her back, he pulled her body completely against his. Her warmth felt incredibly welcoming, yet her kiss tantalizing as he could imagine. They worked together to entirely melt him.

Just as he thought his heart couldn't possibly beat any harder, May's hands trailed down his neck to his chest. There, they lingered for a few long moments before forcefully pushing him backwards onto his own couch.

Her smile was devilish as she hungrily climbed on top of him. Round, nervous, silver eyes glittered from the mass of lights surrounding them, but no way would he even think of stopping her. _Just how long has she been waiting for this?_

Lips met each other again, but not nearly as chastely as before. May nipped at his bottom lip gently, yet enough to make him fight to suppress a throaty moan. Steven ran a hand through her incredibly soft hair, completely losing his ability to think rationally in her. Her head spun euphorically as she took him in, both of them forgetting the concept of time.

After Arceus-knows how long, she finally pulled away and gently brushed her nose against his, making his heart flutter all over again. She smiled and pressed her forehead to his, indulging in the paradise that was each other.

Steven simply admired the young woman on top of him; what had just happened, he still wasn't entirely sure. But what he _did_ know is that he loved every second of it.

They silently stared into each other's eyes, relishing in their perfectly-synced heartbeats. That is, until Steven saw a look of horror wash over May's face in the blink of an eye.

"May?" He sat up, suddenly worried

" … _**The cookies**_!"

* * *

><p>"May, this is really nice of you to bring cookies over! You made these yourself?" Brendan took the foil-covered plate to his messy desk and motioned for his best friend to come into his secret base.<p>

"Well, I had a little help. We just uh, made too many."

"Huh," Brendan uncovered the plate and saw the products of his friend's labor. "Oh, you made different kinds!" His eyes beamed excitedly. "What flavor are these dark ones?"

"Um. Burnt."

"..." Piercing gray eyes glared at May as he already had a "burnt-flavor" cookie halfway to his mouth.

"What? It happens!" May's teeth clenched as she felt her face getting warmer.

"But you're always so great in the kitchen! What made you burn them? And what in the world is all over you…?" Brendan's eyes squinted upon looking up and down her icing-stained sweater.

"Nothing!" She nearly shouted unintentionally. She cleared her throat and shook out the memory. "I just got distracted. Forgot to set a timer. Anyway, there _are_ some edible ones in there too, so at least you can eat those."

"You know I'll probably eat them all anyway." Brendan mumbled, already snacking on one of the charred cookies. They weren't actually terrible.

"I know. That's why I brought them to you." She giggled, which earned her another stink eye from Brendan. "Anyway, I better be going. See you!"

"Thanks May." He smiled in response despite his previous sass. Curiosity coming to peak within him, he peered out the door once May left. He saw her meet up with that popular former champion. He nearly choked when he watched Steven take May's hand in his own and they continued on their way. _Well that might explain a few things,_ Brendan smirked.

* * *

><p>"I still think it wasn't the nicest thing to give your best friend those terrible cookies…" Steven furrowed his eyebrows as he looked down at the young woman walking beside him. She simply laughed and shook her head.<p>

"He'll eat just about anything. Don't worry about him. But hey, at least we made a decent batch afterwards."

"True," he smiled softly as he looked down the road in front of them.

"So," May looked up at him with those hypnotizing blue eyes that made his heart skip a beat, "do you feel in the spirit of Christmas now?"

Pondering this question for a moment, May didn't expect him to respond with a fit of laughter.

"W-what's so funny?" Intending to sound interrogative, she couldn't help but smile from the happiness his own joy brought her.

"I'm certain this is not how you planned today." He ran his free hand - the one that was not occupied with May's - through his hair. Now, May was confused. "You wanted to help me get ready for Christmas with all these traditions to help me feel more at home, right?" May nodded, perplexity and slight disappointment threatened to fill her heart. "Well, I am not sure how well I did at those things. I made you burn the cookies and we both kind of trashed my house in the process." Looking down at their entwined hands, he smiled at the thought of the day's mishaps. "But if nothing else, it was a lot of fun to make a mess with you. It doesn't matter what we did, _you're_ the one who got me into the Christmas spirit, not the traditions."

If it weren't for the fog that emitted from their mouths with each breath, May would have forgotten it was winter, for she felt hot enough to melt at Steven's words. The worst part is she knew that wasn't his intention; he was just speaking from his heart. She fumbled on her thoughts, desperately trying to find the right way to respond.

"Ssh, you big sappy nerd," was what she finally decided on.  
>And he wouldn't expect anything else from her.<p>

Steven turned the shorter girl to face him, surprised at the sight of such a stubborn, strong-headed woman now too flustered to speak. He moved a hand beneath her jaw, guiding her to look at him before softly placing his lips on hers.

That same distinguishable warmth filled his heart once again despite the brisk air that enveloped them. It reminded him of home, wherever that was, and he wondered why he never fell in love with Christmas before.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong>It's so corny I'm so **not sorry at all.**

I had a hell of a month with finals so that explains my lack of updates. I will be continuing A Sacred Bond shortly but first, I desperately needed some Christmas fluff to lift my spirits after finals. I have a Kalosshipping Christmas story planned too, which hopefully I can get to that and chapter 4 of ASB soon. Thank you for reading; I hope it made you as happy as it made me. If not, be nice anyway. Best wishes, and happy holidays!


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